Big Tech’s Russian travails are sometimes quite nuanced. When the Russian information regulator Roskomnadzor threatened to fine Twitter earlier this year, for example, the illegal posts it was complaining about were partly of the sort that are illegal in most countries. Yes, the move came in a broader context of online repression within Russia, but the implications of this episode itself were at least somewhat debatable in the global context.

That’s not the case with the latest Kremlin crackdown on U.S. tech giants. This time, Google and Apple stand accused of interfering in Russian domestic politics by refusing to yank the app of jailed dissident Alexei Navalny from their app stores, weeks before national elections take place.

The companies have not complied with an order Roskomnadzor issued last month, and now the watchdog is threatening them with serious consequences. “Criminal liability is foreseen for organizing as well as taking part in the work of extremist organizations banned in Russia,” it said. “Such arrogant, selective behavior and demonstrative disregard for multiple requests by authorized Russian structures regarding content recognized as extremist is becoming truly unacceptable,” added the foreign ministry, according to AFP.

Navalny was jailed earlier this year for violating probation terms by being flown to Germany for treatment—he says the Putin regime poisoned his underwear with the banned nerve agent Novichok. The case had nothing to do with “extremism” but the Kremlin subsequently slapped that label on him and organizations allied to his cause, which are now banned. Russian law does not allow “extremist” online content; under this legislation, people have even been prosecuted for sharing memes and liking posts that the state considers extremist.

It’s not hard to see what’s going on here. United Russia, Putin’s ruling party, is unpopular and it wants to crush dissent ahead of elections. It wants to use Google and Apple as tools in this quest—just as the Russian opposition wants to use their mobile platforms to further their cause.

Are Google and Apple interfering in local politics? Only in the sense that they control the infrastructure on which ideological battlegrounds take place. That’s passive. Removing Navalny’s app, whatever Russian law requires, would mark much more active interference.

More news below. CEO Daily will return Tuesday—enjoy your weekend.

David Meyer
@superglaze
david.meyer@fortune.com

TOP NEWS

Ida floods

The remnants of Hurricane Ida have caused chaos across the American north-east, with Central Park receiving over three inches of rain in one hour. Subways flooded, as did basement apartments—overall, at least 45 people died. It's the latest in a series of extreme weather events, around the world, this summer. Fortune

Suga rush

Japanese stocks hit a 30-year high today after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he was heading for the door after just one year leading the country. Suga has come under fire for his pandemic response, including the chaos around the Olympics and a slow vaccine rollout. Fortune

Renaissance settlement

In what may be the largest tax settlement in history, former and current Renaissance Technologies executives will repay up to $7 billion in back taxes, interest and penalties. Founder James Simons will also pay an extra $670 million. Wall Street Journal

Binance trouble

Binance Holdings is in trouble in Singapore, where regulators have ordered it to stop offering services because it didn't apply for a license there. The U.K. has already banned the exchange from offering regulated services there, and Japan has issued a warning. Fortune

AROUND THE WATER COOLER

Texas backlash

Fortune's Emma Hinchliffe examines why there hasn’t been much of a business response to Texas's contentious abortion law: "One reason companies have stayed silent is that—like their employees—firms have a lot on their plate in 2021. Their workforces are scattered remotely; the Delta variant is delaying return-to-office plans; COVID cases continue to rise. News about abortion bans didn’t dominate the news cycle leading up to this law in a way that pressured corporate leaders to respond." Fortune

Vaccine inequality

A new coronavirus variant has popped up in South Africa, where just 10% of the population has been vaccinated, thanks to richer countries' hoarding of doses—South African President Cyril Ramaphosa just convinced the EU to return Johnson & Johnson vaccines that were packaged in South Africa but, despite the desperate local need, exported to Europe. Fortune

Algorithm laws

Fortune's Eamon Barrett takes a close look at new regulations, proposed last Friday by China's Internet watchdog, for recommendation algorithms: "If passed, the new law could dramatically limit the ability of social media apps to make money, increase the level of government oversight on the back-end tech powering Internet tech giants, and set a global precedent for managing the thorny issue of A.I. ethics." Fortune

Audi Grandsphere

Audi has unveiled its concept for a "Grandsphere" electric vehicle. It's big and very premium, and we won't be seeing it for real for quite a few years, because the "Level 4" technology it will need to allow drivers to sleep remains under development. Fortune

This edition of CEO Daily was edited by David Meyer.